New Heinlein Novel to be Published
Robert Heinlein, the greatest science fiction author of all time (my opinion), will have one last novel published. Heinlein started plotting a novel entitled "Variable Star" in 1955. He created several pages of detailed outlines and plot points, but then was sidetracked to other projects. Heinlein never completed the manuscript. These notes were found in 2002 (after the passing of Heinlein's wife Ginny) and Heinlein's estate eventually asked Spider Robinson to complete the project.
I think this comment from John Varley (from the Amazon.com book site) summarizes this novel quite well. He says, “Completing a book from notes by a dead author is almost always a mistake. But Robert A. Heinlein apparently isn’t really dead. He was obviously standing at the side of Spider Robinson as he wrote this book, guiding his hand. Variable Star will delight the fans of the greatest science fiction writer who ever lived, and at the same time, stays true to Spider’s passionate themes of optimism, kindness, and humanity’s future among the stars.â€
I am not familar with Spider's work. However, it sounds like he captured the essence of Heinlein's plot, while making the story his own. The book will be available on September 19th, 2006. If can't wait for the finished product, the first eight chapters are available for download here. There is also a short critique that I found here.
If you haven't read Heinlein, you haven't read science fiction. This work may not be the first I would recommend to a new reader, but to us long time fans, it will give us one last look at his incredible talent.
